Shuttle box support for weft replenishing looms



OCL 27, 1942- B. w. BROUWER SHUTTLE Box sUPPoRT'FoR REPLENISHING'LOOMS Filed April 2, 1942 INvsNTofi eNzrA/wm Baouwe R,

' ,TTORNQX Patented Oct. 27, 1942 SHUTTLE BOX SUPPORTFORWEFT' RE PLENISHING 'L OOMS Benjamin W. Brouwer, Auburn, ;Mass., assigner .to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worce ster, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts f application Aprii 2, 1942, seria1 310,437,121

e Claims. (cll 139-1821) This invention relates to improvements in weft replenishing mechanisms employing shifting shuttle boxes and it is the general object of the invention to provide means to hold the shuttle boxes in fixed position on the lay at those times 5 in the cycle of loom operations in which replenishment can occur. j

A type of pick and pick weft replenishing loom which recently has gone into use employs shifting shuttle boxes at the. replenishing end of the Al0 loom and operates to renew .the weft of the shuttle in the top box when the latter is in raised position. In such a loom it is customary to shift the shuttle boxes by a yieldable actuator for the purpose of preventing shuttle breakage 1' should the shuttle fail to be completely boxed, but the yieldable actuator is likely to cause vibration of the shuttle boxes during the replenishing operation. The boxes each have shuttle binders and the sequence of shuttle motion is such that (2 the lower box is empty when the upper box is being replenished and the binder for the lower box is therefore in shuttle checking position. It is an important object of my invention to provide an auxiliary support moving with the shuttle 25 boxes and controlled by the binder of the lower box to afford additional support for the boxes when replenishment occurs. l

In my prior Patent No. 2,263,261 I have shown a bobbin chute secured to the lower sideof a set `30 of shifting shuttle boxes together with a connection to the yieldable actuatorvso arrangedthat the actuating force for the boxes is transmitted through the bobbin chute. It is a further object of my present invention to mount an auxiliary "35 support on the bobbin chute and control the same by the binder of the lower box in such-a way as to support the chute and boxes when thelower box is empty, a condition which exists at replenishment. By such an arrangement the auxiliary support is always aligned with the binder ofthe lower box and rises and falls as the boxes shift without having interfering contact with any other part of the shuttle boxes.

It is a more particularobject of my present invention to provide a `lock; lever pivoted to the bobbin chute and having the lower end thereof positioned to overhang a part of the laywhen the lower shuttle box is empty. When a'shuttle enters the lower box subsequent toreplenishment 50 the lever will be swung on its pivot to a position out of alignmentwith thelay to permit descent of the boxes.

With vthese and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in theV combination and arrangementl of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a vdiagrammatic front elevation of the replenishing'end of a pickpand pick Yloom having my `inventionjapplied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of a portion orFig. 1, showing the shifting shuttle boxes in raised position with my invention in locking position,

Fig'. Slis avertical section on line 3?-3 of Fig. 2, Fig.` 4 is a view similar tov Fig. 3 but with the parts in a diiferentpcsition, and

Fig. 5 is a ydetail horizontal section on an enlarged scaletaken on line '5-5 of Fig. 2.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, I have shown a loom frame IIIr and lay` II` which swings .back and forth on a rocker shaft `I2. A rocker foot I3 secured to shaft I2 has slidably mounted therein "a sleeve I4 attached at its lower end to a connector I5 which extends upwardly over a sheave I6 rotatably mounted on the lay. From the sheave. the chain .moves to well-known operating mechanism, such' as a Knowles head not shown,

which pulls on and releases a chain I'I forming part of connector I 5 to raise and lower the sleeve. A box rod 20 extending through the sleeve I4 has the lower end thereof provided with a collar 2| for engagement with the bottom of the sleeve. f

path of some part carried by the lay, they spring 24 will be compressed to prevent breakage of the shuttle as the sleeve rises.

The shuttle box gangG comprises upper and lower shuttle boxes 30 and 3|, respectively, which may be made as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3k with a box back 32 having depending lugs 33 which are secured as at 34 to lugs 35 on the bobbin chute.` The upper box 30 has ahorizontal top 35 securedto the back 32 while the lower box has a oor 36` also secured to the back 32. Aninter.- mediate shelf or floor 3'I secured to and extendingforwardly from the back 32 provides thefloor for the top box and the top for the bottom box. The lay end 38 secured to the lay has inner and,

normally in down position but can be raised by a connector 50 to transfer position when a replenishing operation of the loom is to occur. A reserve bobbin B will be under the transferrer arm at the time of transfer to be moved downwardly into shuttle S in the upper shuttle box when the latter is raised. At the time of replenishment the depleted bobbin from the shuttle S will move f downwardly through the `temporarily yempty shuttle box 3| and between the right and left hand flanges 52 and 53, respectively, of the bobbin chute toward a bobbin can not shown.

The matter thusfar described of itself forms no part of my present invention and maybe made and operated as set forth in my previously mentioned patent.

In carrying my present invention into effect I cast a laterally extending boss 60 on the left hand ange of the bobbin chute and secure thereto a stud 6|. A lever 62 is pivoted on the stud and has an upwardly extending armterminating in a rearwardly projecting nose 63 positioned Afor engagement with the binder 64 of the lower box 3|. A torsion spring 65 surrounds the hub 66 of lever 62 and is fastened at one end to the lever and at the other end to the boss 60. The effect of spring 65 is to tend to turn the lever 62 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 3`and 4 and hold the nose 63 in rear position, preferably against .the binderl 64.

The lay end 38 has secured to the under side thereof a member 1D formed `witlf a forward abutment 1| positioned for engagement with the lower arm 12 of lever 62. The member has an opening 13 behind the abutment proportioned to receive the arm 12 when the latter is in rear position as the boxes descend. y

Extending to the left from flange 53 is a lug 15 through which extends the lower end of. a Vrod 16 which extends upwardly and has the upper end. thereof screw threaded into the oor 31. A nut 11 at the upper end of the rod and a pair of nuts 18 at the bottom end thereof, one above and the other below lug 15, serve to hold the rod 16 to the lug 15 and floor 31, thereby supporting the latter with respect to the chute v23. Lug 15 has a clear hole 19 'through which the ro'd 16 is passed upwardly preparatory to threading into floor 31,

In operation, the boxes will be in the high position shown in Fig. 3 at the timeof weft replenishmentand the low box 3| will be empty. The binder 64 is therefore in rearmost or shuttle checking position and spring 65 holds `lever 62 rearwardly in the full line position ofFig. 3 with the arm 12 overhanging'and either engaging or closely adjacent to the abutment 1|. If under these conditions bobbin B should be transferred downwardly into shuttle S, any vibration of the boxes incident to transfer will be arrested, inasmuch as downward motion of arm 12 is resisted by abutment 1I and the bobbing chute and shuttle boxes are therefore held in proper position for transfer.

Subsequent to replenishment another shuttle will enter box 3| and push the binder `|54 tothe left, see dotted lines of Fig. '3, thereby rocking lever 62 to move arm 12 rearwardly out of alignment with the abutment 1| and over opening 13. When the boxes descend the arm 12 will move downwardly through the opening 13 to the position indicated in Fig. 4. Movement of the lever 62 to locking and unlocking position goes on throughout operation of the loom independently of replenishment, but the cooperation of the several parts is such that replenishment will always occur when lever 62 is in position to prevent downward motion of the shuttle boxes at the time of replenishment.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple form of auxiliary support for the shuttle boxes comprising a lever pivoted on the bobbin chute and having one arm to be positioned by the binder of the lower box and another arm to move into and out of holding engagement with respect to the abutment 1|. It will also be seen that the lever rises and falls with the shuttle boxes and is therefore-always aligned with the binder 64. Furthermoravthe rod 16 provides support for the floor 31 and ties the latter to the bobbin chute which in turn is supported by the lever 62 when the latter is in the full line position of Fig. 3.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the. details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom having a lay provided with apair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically by a downwardly yieldable actuator and wherein provision is made for downward replenishment of a shuttle in the upper shuttle box while the lower shuttle box is empty and the binder of the latter is in shuttle engaging position, a bobbin chute secured to the shuttle boxes and connected to the yieldable actuator to transmit a liftingforce from the latter to the boxes, a lever pivoted on said bobbin chute, .and means normally to place one arm of the lever in engaging position relatively to said binder of the lower box and place another arm of the lever over a part of the lay to prevent downward movement of the bobbin chute and boxes, entry of a shuttle into said lower box moving the binder and causing the latter to rock said lever and move said other arm out of vertical alignment with said part of the lay.

2. In a loom having a Vlay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically by a downwardly yieldable `actuator and wherein provision is made for downward replenishment of` a shuttle in the upper shuttle box while the lower shuttle box is empty'and the shuttle binder ofthe latter is in shuttle engaging position, a bobbin chute secured to the shuttle boxes and connected to the yieldable actuator to transmit a lifting force from the latter to the boxes, a lever pivoted on the bobbin chute and having an arm tofengage the binder of the lower box and having a second arm to overhang a part of the lay, andyieldable means tending to hold saidl other arm over said part of the lay to prevent downward movement of the bobbin chute with respect to thelay,l entry of a shuttle into the lower boxmoving the binder to cause the latter to rock said lever and Amove said second arm out ofengaging position with respect to s aid part of the lay. l

3. In a loom havinga lay providedwith` ajpair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically'by a .downwardly yieldable actuator and wherein provision is made for downward replenishment of a shuttle in the upper shuttle box while the lower shuttle box is empty and the binder of the latter is in shuttle engaging position, a bobbin chute secured to the shuttle boxes and connected to the yieldable actuator to transmit a lifting force from the latter to the boxes, an auxiliary support for said bobbin chute mounted on the latter for movement relatively to said chute by said binder, and means tending normally to cause a part of said support to' overhang a portion of the lay to prevent downward motion of the bobbin chute and boxes with respect to the lay when said binder is in shuttle engaging position, movement of a shuttle into said lower box moving the binder to cause the latter to move the auxiliary support with respect to the bobbin chute to move said part out of vertical alignment with said portion of the lay.

- 4. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically by a downwardly yieldable actuator and wherein provision is made for downward replenishment of a shuttle in the upper shuttle box while the lower shuttle box is empty and the binder of the latter is in shuttle engaging position, a bobbin chute secured to the shuttle boxes and connected to the yieldable actuator to transmit a lifting force from the latter to the boxes, an auxiliary support for said bobbin chute mounted on the latter for horizontal movement relatively thereto by said binder but prevented from moving bodily downwardly with respect to said chute, and means normally causing said support to overhang a portion of the lay when the binder is in shuttle engaging position, said support being moved out of vertical alignment with said portion of the lay by said binder when the latter is moved by a shuttle entering the lower box.

5. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically by a downwardly yieldable actuator and wherein provision is made for downward replenishment of a shuttle in the upper shuttle box while the lower shuttle box is empty and the binder of the latter is in shuttle engaging position, a bobbin chute secured to the shuttle boxes and connected to the yieldable actuator to transmit a lifting force from the latter to the boxes, a stud secured to said chute and extending horizontally under said shuttle boxes, and a lever pivotally mounted on said stud for movement in a vertical plane transverse of said binder, a spring tending normally to hold said lever with one part thereof in engaging position relatively to the binder and another part thereof over a portion of the lay, said binder when moved by a shuttle entering the lower box engaging and rocking said lever against the action of said spring to move said other part of the lever out of vertical alignment with said portion of the lay.

6. In a loom having a lay, shiftable shuttle boxes on the lay, a shuttle binder for one of said boxes, a downwardly yieldable actuator to shift said shuttle boxes vertically with respect to the lay, a bobbin chute connected to the actuator and the shuttle boxes to transmit an operating force from said actuator to the shuttle boxes, a lock pivotally mounted on said bobbin chute, and means normally holding said lock in locking position to engage the lay and prevent downward movement of the boxes and chute with respect to the lay, said lock positioned for movement by said binder to non-locking position with respect to the lay.

7. In a loom having a lay provided with a pair of shuttle boxes which are shifted vertically by a downwardly yieldable actuator and wherein provision is made for downward replenishment of a shuttle in the upper shuttle box while the lower shuttle box is empty and the binder of the latter is in the path of a shuttle entering the lower box, a bobbin chute secured to the shuttle boxes and connected to the yieldable actuator to transmit a lifting force from the latter to the boxes, a lock movably mounted on the bobbin chute into and out of locking relation with respect to the lay, and means to move said lock into locking position when the binder is in said shuttle path, said lock being moved out of locking position by the binder when the latter is moved by a shuttle entering the lower box.

8. In a bobbin chute for a shuttle box on a loom lay having a shuttle binder normally in the path of a shuttle entering the shuttle box, means by which said chute can be secured to said shuttle box, a stop lever pivoted on said chute, and a spring supported by said chute and connected to said lever and tending to hold one part of said lever in position to overhang a portion of the lay to prevent movement of the chute in one direction on the lay and urge another part of the lever toward said binder, said other part being movable by said binder to move said one part out of overhanging position relatively to said portion of the lay.

9. A bobbin chute and shuttle box assembly for a loom lay, said assembly comprising a depleted bobbin guide secured to ay shuttle box hav- 

